Priorities
by Deploringly
Summary: Before her his only priority was his gang, he'd live each day as it came; careless and much too brave, though a kismet encounter with a girl as comely as the moon soon changes that. AU
1. Prologue to Vicissitude

**Disclaimer(applied to all chapters) : I obviously don't own Vampire Knight. Although I wish nobody **_**owned**_** Vampire Knight, because then it would be **_**real.**_

**Note: There's no specific time period during Vampire Knight that this is taking place.  
**

_Prologue to Vicissitude_

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Zero's lithe body was poised, ready to strike. He awaited in the dark shadows of the abandoned alley-way. Well, abandoned save for he, his gang, and the fair-haired girl that had no idea what was about to hit her.

The foreboding atmosphere of the black night that veiled atop of him threw him off-kilter. It created a tugging thought that something would change tonight. Something would throw him off balance. He wasn't quite sure why, but the uneasiness of the feeling wouldn't cease.

His gang lay in the shadows silently, waiting for him to follow thru with the idiotic game they played out daily. The objective was to find some sullen & extremely unlucky passerby and shake them up a little bit. Maybe throw them around, jostle them up, and give them a trifle scare.

He found it disappointing that this was the only way they got their kicks, but said nothing of it. Who was he to look down on others? It wasn't like he had anywhere left to go but down either.

Abandoned, and alone on a baron night, his present gang picked him up. They offered him comfort & support. Something he had been seeking for far too long. His entire family had been butchered; he was somehow spared through the mayhem & found himself on the streets, seeking some kind of remedy to end the desolate isolation he felt.

Sadly, the gang Zero found himself belonging in- Hunters they called themselves – became the most treasured thing in his life. They were what he woke up to, what he ended his day with, the way he spent the time in between.

And through it all was-ugh- _school_. He felt no obligation to go every day, so when he was bored & the cold streets held no amusement he would trudge on to school. Partially also because Kido, his leader, often reprimanded him if he didn't. They might act badass & tough on the outside, but inside the Hunters members were all fairly decent individuals who actually cared about academics.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts he brought his attention back to the dark-haired girl. She was completely oblivious as to what was going on around her, she seemed very clueless of her surroundings.

_This should be fairly easy_. He thought. And it should have been. He planned the whole thing out in his head as the dark cloak of night veiled over him; hiding his presence. She'd continue walking towards him and right when her body became aligned with his he'd greedily outstretch his arms & frighten her. Just a bit.

He loathed doing this with girls, they deserved better. Nor did he enjoy doing it to innocents. Although with criminals he didn't mind. But he went along with it anyways; fearing the only solace he had come to know with his gang would be taken away and they would leave him if he did not follow thru with their obligations.

She was right there. The moment came & his arms grabbed her towards him & faced her. His pupils dilated & his eyelids flew up. _What the…_ He was rendered helpless, unable to do anything but stare into the warm brown pools of life that were her eyes. Her pale face surrounded her delicate features softly, & the wisps of her brown bangs passed right above her eyelids. She was beauty's reincarnate.

Yuuki stared back, equally stunned. Neither knew how many moments passed by as they stared helplessly at one another. Surely he should pull away now; this was far beyond the limits of proper etiquette. And though he knew his boys were watching him, & that he should have let go long before, he made no move to.

Her presence captivated him. Right then he wanted- no _needed_- to know everything there was to know about this delicate, porcelain-skinned women-child before him.

The full, beautiful moon shone tenderly on his fair, silver hair. His ratty jeans hugged his calves gloriously as they stayed absolutely immobilized to the ground. Yuuki's eyes raked up hungrily to the tailored leather jacket that relentlessly covered up what she knew would be a perfectly sculpted body. Dressed in all black he blended well with the night. His dark eyes penetrated her to the core; they didn't move from hers for a split second.

Silently she cursed whoever had thought to create clothing; she wished it had never been created. Such a sinful thing to be taking away her access to lay eyes on his beautiful skin. She wanted-no she _needed_- to know this shocking boy that fate had presented in front of her.

He froze her in longing, & couldn't move even if she willed it. His perfectly sculpted features chilled her to the bone. Surely no one could be _this_ perfect? But he was. There was no denying his other-worldly beauty. Yuuki felt meager in comparison.

Zero let her go, much sooner than to his liking, but the foreign emotions that welled up inside of him were frightening. This was hardly normal. Afraid of the intensity this young adult brought in her wake he mumbled an apology before turning away to the incredulous faces of his gang.

Tonight there would be _hell_ to pay for his mistake.

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**Reviews would be incredibly appreciated.**


	2. Baleful Concurrence

_Baleful occurrence_

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The next morning he awoke with a pounding headache from yesterday's punishment thanks to the beautiful dark haired girl, and to find Kido already gone. Probably out tying some loose ends. Zero sighed, as he held his cigarette away from his face & let out a puff of smoke.

These were the times he enjoyed most. Lazing about, leaning against the cold brick walls & having some rare, peaceful quiet moments to think to himself.

He thought of the girl. And the promise she held. He thought of holding her, & the words that could flow out her mouth as he held her in other places. He thought of what her name might be, and if he had frightened her. He thought of the possibility that she was thinking of him.

He took a final drag and threw his cigarette to the floor, crushing it with the soles of his shoes. He fisted against the wall in wanting & wondered where she could possibly be. He knew it was wrong to try to be involved with anyone, but he didn't want to keep himself away from her either. The situation was bleak anyhow, it wasn't like the girl actually cared. How naïve of him to actually think he could have had the same affect on her.

He groaned and leaned his back against the wall, wishing to find solace in lighting up, but knowing the cigarette he had just tamped down on was the last one he could afford. Zero looked to his right and saw the familiar silhouette of an approaching figure.

"Kido." He acknowledged.

Kido looked at him disapprovingly, "Why the fuck ain't chu at school kid?"

A bird sounded from up above as it flew far above his head. He looked up at it, pondering what it would feel like to be able to fly. To be able to jump up and fly away from all his problems.

"Don't feel like it." Zero answered, still staring up at the sky. He knew arguing was futile; Kido would force him to go anyways, but giving up into his demands so easily made him feel like a pawn. Even though Kido was only doing this because he cared, Zero's pride was far too alive to let him give in so easily.

"You need me to walk you over there or can I trust you'll head to school without any fuss?" He smirked.

Zero rolled his eyes & pulled on his leather jacket, and grudgingly headed towards Cross Academy.

As Yuuki headed over to school she wondered blithely if she'd ever see the silver-haired boy again. She was in the middle of fantasizing over his luscious body when she abruptly bumped into the rock hard chest of another figure. She lost her balance and the ground was coming up fast.

Two arms wrapped around her protectively with grips of steel, and pulled her towards them safely.

"S-Sorry!" She muttered looking down, profusely embarrassed by her usual clumsiness.

"Yeah." The figure spoke, and his breathing was heavy with excitement.

Wait a fucking minute. She knew that voice. It was the same voice that had mumbled an apology only the night before. Yuuki looked back up slowly, and there he was.

"You. You were from the alley last night." She spoke up to a dark pair of eyes that were intently focused on her face.

"Yeah." He said simply & took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. A passing car honked and Yuuki was momentarily distracted as she looked towards the street. Zero took the opportunity to fully rake his eyes over her appreciatively. He hadn't been able to see as clearly last night & in the bright sun of day she was even more beautiful than he had been day dreaming of.

Zero wondered if she'd ask him about his motivation behind randomly grabbing her in the middle of the night in a secluded alley-way, but she ignored the subject completely.

Instead she asked, "Where you headed?"

"Cross Academy."

"Me too," She finally brought her gaze from the street back to his that had never left her body, "Walk with me?"

"Fine." He spoke, unbeknownst to her; furiously trying to reign in the sudden excitement.

She walked forward, and he gladly walked behind her, gratefully taking the opportunity to examine her. Her hips sashayed to and fro and he imagined what it would be like to feel the curve of her underneath that skirt. He studied the way her hair would slightly brush over her shoulder and on to her clavicle according to her stride.

Before he understood what was happening his hand had reached forward on its own accord. He quickly snatched it back before it could stray to the parts he had wanted it to.

"What's your name?" She called back to him, slowing her stride to match his. He wished she would keep up the speed so he could just string along from the back and stare at her posterior view .

"Zero."

"I'm Yuuki." She looked up & smiled at him. It was shockingly beautiful, and the first time he had seen something so mesmerizing. He quickly regained his composure & mustered up a small smile.

Zero was in the middle of trying to come up with something to say back to the beautiful girl that walked beside him when an unwanted hand clasped him on the shoulder from behind.

"Hello Kiryu." The voice sounded.

Startled, Zero quickly turned around and came face to face with Kaname Kuran, the leader of Hunter's rival gang- Pureblood.

"Don't touch me Kuran." His voice leaked with acidity, and he shook Kaname's hand off. He pulled Yuuki behind him, covering most of her from view with his arms.

Wrong move.

"Who's this?" Kaname smiled politely & moved forward to catch a stray lock of Yuuki's hair.

"Yuuki Cross." She answered boldly for herself just as Zero was about to speak up on her behalf.

"I see." Kaname drawled, sounding rather intrigued.

The fact that Kaname might take any sort of liking towards Yuuki was entirely off putting, & Zero hastily tried to get her away from him.

"Let's go Yuuki." He pulled her arm along with him quickly, hoping she wouldn't stir up a fuss. She didn't, & walked with him, only pausing once to look back behind her dubiously.

"You'll be seeing more of me Kiryu, I can assure you that." Kaname's voice trailed off as they got further away, but that sentence kept echoing throughout his mind.

"Who was that?" Yuuki questioned curiously.

"An idiot." Zero answered back shortly.

"I see." Yuuki let it drop easily.

That was something he was coming to appreciate. How she took things so lightly, and let everything pass with hardly a remark. And the lack of annoying questions, that was also brilliant. Yuuki Cross was carefree. He smiled inwardly, joyous that he had been able to find out even one thing about her.

"Thanks." She muttered as he held the gates of cross academy open for her.

He nodded and gestured for her to go in. Once again he carefully took in all of her petite figure, & grinned hungrily. This ought to be damn well

interesting.

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**-cough REVIEW cough COUGH- c(:**


	3. Wretched Correlation

_Wretched Correlation_

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The loud murmur of the crowd of students enveloped both of them as they walked thru Cross Academy's entrance gates. Zero kept a light hand on the small of Yuuki's back; unwilling to let go of her for any period of time.

Upon reaching class they parted ways & headed towards their assigned seats. But not before Zero noticed a dark haired head eyeing them intently outside the window from within the crowd. Crimson eyes met his own. _Kuran_. He ignored Kaname's smile & ran his large hand along the brown, polished mahogany of his workspace in the back.

Yuuki peaked back at Zero from her seat, but found him to be in a deep slumber. He apparently wasn't nearly as affected by her presence as she was by his. She had hardly been able to sit still & was fidgeting & twitching the whole lecture while Zero had just been _sleeping_?

Frustrated, Yuuki looked towards the windows & noticed a pale, dark haired figure looking back at her. His expression softened into a smile once he caught her eye, & she found herself smiling back automatically in response. _At least _he _pays attention to me_.

"Yuuki, pay attention!" Her teacher barked, & her head snapped back to the front of the room in surprise.

"S-Sorry." She muttered, a blush forming on her cheeks.

The obnoxiously loud voice of the teacher broke him out of his slumber only to see Yuuki being scolded. All this time he had been dreaming of her in this dreary classroom & she hadn't even been thinking of him? How conceited of him to even think he had a chance making her his.

Zero looked out the window, curious to see what Yuuki had been gazing at, and found an awed Kaname staring back at Yuuki. A hiss escaped Zero's lips as he realized what might have progressed between the two. Kuran already had a string of girls begging for him, why did he have to set his sights on the one girl that ever mattered? Fine. It didn't matter anyways, it wasn't like he deserved Yuuki anyhow. _I'm sure they'd make a lovely couple_. His jaw trembled at the thought.

As class ended & Yuuki gestured for him to walk beside her, he obeyed wordlessly, even though he had made an oath with himself mere moments before not to become involved with her; fearing the power she had over him.

Even if she couldn't be his lover, he couldn't help but still try to stay a friend to her, even though he was fearful of the pain this decision would cause; knowing that, as a friend, he would have to stand by helplessly watching her fall for somebody else- Kaname Kuran for that matter. But he'd take the pain. _God knows I deserve it._ He thought as he opened the cafeteria door for her, and once again the swell of the crowd's voices wrapped around him.

Not yet 5 seconds after they entered the cafeteria did Kaname immediately usher Yuuki over to sit with him at his reserved table with his gang lackeys. She looked towards Zero for assurance, and he merely nodded & followed her silently.

"Hello Yuuki, Zero." Kaname acknowledged. Zero studied the faces of the company that sat with Kaname as he & Yuuki sat down. They all seemed incredibly solemn, which was odd considering their relaxed surroundings. Aidou Hanabusa caught his gaze, but hastily looked away.

Zero looked back at Kaname wordlessly, knowing that words weren't necessary to convey his distaste for him. Sure Kaname was decent enough, but there was just something about him that always seemed off to Zero.

"Hello." Yuuki responded, awkwardly breaking the tormenting silence.

Kaname's face broke into a smile at the sound of her voice.

Zero tuned out the rest of their conversation during the lunch hour, knowing he couldn't bear to watch them fawn over each other. In a game like this Zero was already defeated, Kaname overwhelmed him in every category & Zero was nothing in comparison. Kuran was intelligent, charming, calm, & beautiful. It would be natural for Yuuki to fall for him; Zero didn't stand a chance.

Even while blocking out their words, Zero couldn't help but stare at Yuuki as she answered all of Kaname's obviously flirtatious questions, and he was in awe with what he found their.

He took in all of her natural beauty, memorizing the soft curve of her lips & the way they would slightly stick to each other as she opened her mouth. He admired the way the sun caught at her hair & reflected its deep color brilliantly. He stared at her rich brown eyes, & the beautiful shadow her eyelashes would cast as she looked down shyly.

"Yuuki, mayhaps you would like to accompany me on an errand this evening?" Kaname's creamy voice asked suddenly.

Somehow that sentence broke thru the wall he had set to block out all their words. It took only that one sentence to shatter his calm, his world, and his cold, lonely heart.

"Excuse me." He shot out sharply, as he abruptly got up and escaped from the table.

It didn't matter that his words came out so harsh, it didn't matter that he didn't even bother looking back as Yuuki shouted his name, it didn't matter that in that moment he was breaking into countless, irreparable pieces. It didn't matter because he could never have her, and she was the only thing that had ever _truly_ mattered.

Zero walked straight out of the school, not once looking back.

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"Back so soon kiddo?" Kido greeted him as he turned the corner & reached their crash spot.

Zero said nothing, only grabbing the cigarette packet Kido offered him in his outstretched hand. Once out of sight Zero reached down into his pocket and took out a drug that was so much stronger than the measly nicotine held in his weak cigarette. He savored the feeling before hitting up, looking forward to the numbness it would bring him. _My crooked escape_. He thought heavenly as he took a drag of his blissful heroin, & watched the day waste away.

...

It was evening when the effects of the drugs had started wearing off, & he started walking around aimlessly. Not knowing where he was going, only knowing he needed somewhere to go.

The filthy and cluttered street lights shone down on him mercilessly, seeming to want to push him towards oblivion. He shoved his hands in his pockets & strode forward, seeking something to free him from this god-awful despair.

Zero found himself in an unfamiliar street, and felt a need to rest. He folded himself down on the sidewalk & leaned against a stone wall. He took the spare cigarette he always kept in his pocket & lit it up. He brought it up to his mouth eagerly, and studied the star-filled sky, enjoying the rare moment of peace.

"Zero!" An all-too-familiar voice cried out breathlessly.

Zero looked towards the street detachedly & saw Yuuki running towards him. It seemed that she had been running for a while. _God, even sweaty & out of breath she's still too beautiful_.

"Shouldn't you be with Kaname?" He asked emotionlessly, remembering the earlier cause for his desolation.

"No, of course not!" Yuuki yelled breathlessly.

"What do you mean?" He asked coldly, taking another drag on his cigarette.

"Stop that!" She shouted, grabbing his cigarette from his hand and stomping down on it,

"You're killing yourself!"

"Who cares?" He looked up at her challengingly.

"I do Zero… I _care_! God you're so frustrating!" Yuuki threw her hands up in the air helplessly, before sitting down next to him.

"_I'm_ frustrating? You're the one who was all over Kuran." He mumbled.

"Excuse me? 'all over Kuran'? Is that the kind of person I seem like?"

Zero just shrugged, knowing his lack of answer was answer enough. By this point he was far too hurt to try to be anything but cruel. When love scars you so deep, how are you suppose to love back?

"No, I was not _all over Kuran_. And no I should not be with Kaname right now, I didn't even accept his offer at lunch today & if you hadn't been so busy ignoring me & storming off you would have seen that."

"Well I beg your pardon for not wanting to see-," He stopped & looked at her in awe, "Wait, you didn't go with him?"

"No. I didn't." She answered softly.

"Well sorry, you just seemed to like him." He grumbled.

"I don't like _him_." She looked down shyly.

"Then who?" He asked gently, a trickle of hope seeping inside of him straight to his core.

She looked up & a pair of steadfast eyes were looking up at him, "You."

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**hohoho ?**


	4. Amorous Tryst

_ Amorous Tryst_

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He didn't wait. He'd waited long enough. He grabbed her head of hair roughly & brought her lips down to his. Yuuki's mouth opened up hungrily to his & he could taste her love as deep as his saturated into each kiss.

It was better than Heaven. And in that moment he knew she had saved him from an abyss he was on the edge of falling into. An abyss he took no pleasure in walking. _What would have happened if this burning star hadn't fallen in front of me?_ Zero wanted never to find out. He angled his mouth slightly, only briefly breaking their kiss, so as to allow himself passage to breath thru his nose.

She laced her fingers into his mass of soft silver hair & held on, not wanting to ever let go. And thru the chaos that was her mind their lips crashed together endlessly into a never ending plight of forever. She had no words for this moment. Nor would there ever be any words created that could describe the perfect immortality of this moment.

Yuuki had witnessed many types of love. There was a street-man's love for the fragile ecstasy he held in the form of a cursed needle in his shaking hands. There was a mother's love for her new born child. There was a business man's love for the dirty money he swipes in a form of a credit card. And then there was the love that intertwined between two people. That was some other type of love. Some type of love that was far too important to be named. And surely this was the un-named love.

_In this dance of impossibility I hope you would wonder to hold forever in your hands to give me the chance to help you create the world once again. We could paint it, rearrange it. Always giving in to the temptations that await us at every alley, in each crimson apple dripping with possibility. _Clusters of thoughts tumbled thru Zero's head. Thoughts that had no meaning, & yet meant something indescribable.

Yuuki was the one who had to break their kiss. She could no longer breathe, it was a wonder Zero had yet to stop. But as all great things do, this had to come to an end as well, & he finally took back his lips & stared into her eyes with a wonder that trickled down thru her bones.

"Me too." He spoke softly.

And by then Yuuki had almost forgotten she had confessed to him & it took her a moment before realizing this to be his answer.

Zero turned around & without looking behind him held out his hand for her. She tripped over herself to grab hold of it. Holding Zero's hand…she felt as if she was holding a world of possibilities. Each one bright, and full of color.

"Where are we going?" She found the courage to ask.

"Anywhere," Zero looked back at her with a wolfish grin, & her insides melted.

"Lovely."

Not once did Zero let go of her hand. And she was rather grateful for it. With her trite hand held in his massive grip Yuuki felt safe. A safe that had come to lose itself after having to cope with the loss of her parents. Her world had suddenly changed, had suddenly become more endearing in every possible way, & she wanted its essence to become immortal. She _needed_ this love to be never ending.

She looked up at the back of Zero's head with a sudden, unleashed longing. _ Stay forever_.

"Here we are." Zero said unexpectedly & brought her to a halt beside him.

"Where _are_ we?" She looked around, but all she saw was a crude looking iron fence behind her siding against a few rust encrusted dumpsters.

But none of that mattered. For in front of her lay a beautiful lake; bathed by the moon's pale light, & enveloped by Night's surrounding arms. She knew not where it ended, but she knew it needed only a beginning to lure her in.

Zero led her down to the edge of the lake & stripped down to his boxers, all the while keeping his eyes on hers.

In the moonlight he was exquisite. The word beautiful stood no chance in describing him. _God he's sexy._ It sounded petty, but she couldn't help it, he just _was_.

The little light there was reflected off the skin of his perfectly toned arms that lay on either side of his magnificently sculpted chest & utterly defined abdomens. His silver hair shone relentlessly, basking in the Night's rare glow. His full lashes cast shadows against his skin. _Sexy, sexy, sexy, sexy, sexy._ Yuuki thought over & over.

Then without permission or warning Zero eased her jacket off her shoulders & brought his head down for a kiss. He slid his hands down to the hem of her shirt & pulled it over her head, only briefly breaking their kiss.

His fearless hands found their way down to her zipper & pulled her pants to the damp ground swiftly. And suddenly Yuuki found herself alone by a lake with a beautiful boy she was madly in love with in nothing but her undergarments, & he in nothing, save his boxers.

And for some reason, even though it was probably close to forty degrees outside, she felt pleasantly warm. Well, maybe it was the friction of Zero's hands constantly running down the length of her body that kept her warm. Either way, she was grateful.

"God you're beautiful," He kept mumbling as he'd kiss a trail along her neck down to her collar bone.

Her breath hitched as his soft, full lips went lower still & his mouth paused in the valley between her breasts.

Zero panted heavily as he kissed up & down the space between her breasts before licking her back up to her collar bone. He set his lips back to hers & rested his large hands against her bra.

He gently nudged her forward into the lake, & she let out a gasp at the frigid cold that he had led her into.

"You cold?" He breathed, briefly breaking their kiss.

She managed a nod, not sure she could answer without her voice cracking or shaking, or sounding incredibly high on the scent of night.

He bit at her earlobe & nudged his leg in between her thighs, "I can fix that"

Yuuki let out a small, involuntary moan in response. Which seemed to awaken something inside of Zero, & his mouth became more pleading. His tongue moved roughly inside of her mouth, & his touch became aggressive.

Zero led her further into the lake until the water enveloped her right below her breasts. He kissed back down to her breasts & licked them hungrily while his hands kneaded her ass relentlessly.

Again, she involuntarily let out an embarrassingly loud moan & Zero immediately stopped.

"That's it. My house." He growled & roughly picked her up.

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** Eh. -in state of dislike pertaining to current chapter- **

**REV-IEW ? -heart heart- puh-lease . -wink- **


	5. Uncouth Hindrance

_Uncouth Hindrance_

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The harsh city lights & surrounding landscape were merely a blur of unimportance as Zero rushed her to his home. It didn't even register to her that they were both walking around town half naked, & their clothes lay strewn across the lake, long forgotten. And not a word was spoken during the expanse of their journey, but not a single sound was needed to convey the feelings that resided within the love soaked vines that intertwined them.

Upon reaching their destination Zero halted her outside a crumbling apartment building composed entirely of bricks. The structure must have been old, it hardly looked modern.

The silver-haired demi-god turned his key into the apartment building's door & shyly led her up the stairs.

"No elevators?" She questioned lightly.

"No, there are. But I'm afraid of what I might do to you stuck in an elevator alone."

Yuuki blushed profusely & proceeded up the unfamiliar flight of stairs with Zero leading the way.

They stopped in front of a crude looking white door with the number 69 on it. Zero opened it & led her inside.

It was a one room apartment with a single queen sized mattress, accompanied by a wooden dresser & a shabby desk. There were books & papers scattered around & and an antique looking lamp by the nightstand near his bed.

"I know it's not much…" Zero stated & looked down timidly as she took a look around his room.

"No-no It's perfect." She said sincerely, enjoying the refreshing simplicity of it & the lack of splendor.

Zero seemed to believe her & his face lit up in response. It pleased her that he was happy & she found herself impulsively laying a tender kiss upon his surprised, awaiting lips. He answered back immediately & wove his tongue thru the entrance of her novice mouth.

He turned her around so that she was facing the bed & he was facing the door & sat down upon his bed. Zero rested his hands on her hips & placed a chaste kiss on her stomach while she stood in front of him. He placed an erratic trace of kisses all along her stomach before coming up to her breasts.

Zero looked up at her meaningfully before moving his hands up to her bra strap & unhooking it. Without hesitation he brought his mouth to the places her bra used to cover & pampered each breast in turn. Yuuki let out a moan & Zero roughly pulled her down to his lap with each of her legs on either side of him.

His mouth never left her & he took her taut nipple into the cavern of his capable mouth. Another moan escaped her lips, which caused one to come out of Zero in turn. One of his hands snaked its way down her back & slipped underneath her cotton panties, while the other lay on her upper thigh.

Yuuki let out a gasp at all the new sensations that found their way inside of her. _Heat. Lust. Passion. Craving. Hunger. _It was as if her whole life her body had been on and off switch, & Zero was the only one that could flick that switch to on.

"Mmm. Yuuki I-" Zero started, but was cut off by the resounding sound of the apartment door banging open.

"Yuuki, I've been looking all over for you. Kaname told me he saw-" A familiar voice proclaimed, "Well well, who is _this_ lovely boy?"

Headmaster Cross stood at the threshold of Zero's apartment door with a look of mischief set upon his brow. And to everyone's shock he started to slowly undress himself.

"Such a pretty boy." He spoke, seductively licking his lips.

"The fuck?" Zero shouted & covered Yuuki from Cross' view while hurriedly trying to find a shirt to cover with her. He tossed Yuuki a Tee & pulled one over his head as well.

"Headmaster! Stop undressing yourself!" Yuuki shouted & pulled Zero's cotton Tee on.

"You _know _him?" Zero asked astounded.

"He's my foster father." She explained as Cross grudgingly put his clothes back on.

"Oh…" Zero suddenly realized the incredibly awkward situation he was in & a slow blush started to creep across his face.

"Well, I guess I'll leave you two alone." Cross exclaimed cheerfully & closed the door behind him.

"I'm really sorry about that. Sometimes he can be a bit…challenging."

"Don't apologize. It's my fault for bringing you here." Zero grumbled, "But I don't regret it."

"Me neither."

An exuberant smile lit up his features & he kissed her forehead tenderly. Which made her want to drop everything & continue off right back where they started, but she refrained herself only because Cross was waiting for her outside the door.

So instead she shut her eyes & sighed softly when he brought his lips back from her head.

" 'Bye." She said softly as she walked out his door.

" 'Bye." He answered back tenderly.

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"I can't believe my little girl's growing up!" Cross squealed excitedly and spun in circles on their way to the car.

" … "

"Oh, come now don't be so shocked my lovely daughter!"

She proceeded to ignore him, hoping if she continued to he would eventually stop talking. Although it hardly helped, Cross continued his crazed babbling all the way home.

...

The next day at school she was incredibly nervous wondering what Zero would do or what she should do or what Zero should do or _how_ they should greet each other and by the time she reached school she was an utter wreck.

She was waiting by the gates nervously when she felt a hand clasp her shoulder from behind. Yuuki looked up in relief, eager to see Zero's face.

"Kana…me?"

"Hello Yuuki. How was your night?"

"Fine. Thank you." She looked away embarrassed.

"I fervently hope you had a wonderful time."

She felt bad for ditching him, but the tone in his voice was starting to dawn on her and she realized how much hurt she had truly caused him.

"Kaname I'm really sorry that I couldn't accept your invitation yesterday." She spoke quickly, hoping to ease the heavy weight of guilt from her conscience.

He smiled, but it seemed so sad she would have rather he hadn't made an expression at all, "It's quite alright." He mussed her hair gently.

Yuuki looked up at him in worry; she hated knowing his hurt was caused by her. She wanted to explain to him about how truly sorry she was and that she couldn't change how she felt about him as a friend and Zero as…well something more, but Kaname's smile quickly evaporated when he turned to face the street.

She looked towards the direction his eyes were coldly staring at when she saw Zero's tall, lithe approaching figure.

"I'll leave you two alone." Kaname smiled again and disappeared before Zero even came close.

"Hi." She breathed when he reached her.

"Hello." He said blankly.

"…Zero?" She asked in confusion. Why was he being so cold?

"Was that Kuran you were just talking to?" Zero demanded.

"Yes?"

"What was he saying?"

"Not much."

"Okay, but what exactly were you talking about?"

She didn't understand why he sounded so angry.

"He asked me how my night was."

Zero took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Whatever."

Then a ludicrous idea dawned on her. It seemed so impossible but she couldn't help but wondering, is Zero _jealous_? No, no, no. That can't be it. _Why would he be jealous over me and Kaname? _I mean if he is that would be extremely adorable but she wasn't going to kid herself any further. Although… she couldn't think up any other reasons for his sudden temper.

"Zero."

"What?" He asked without turning around.

She waited patiently for him to turn around.

"…" Now that it came time she was having trouble voicing her ridiculous inquiry.

"What is it Yuuki?"

"…Are you jealous?"

Zero looked straight at her without talking while she awaited his answer.

"Of course I am." He answered simply then turned around and started walking towards the gates.

"Wait!" She shouted out as she tried to catch up with his ridiculously long legs while bursting into a fit of giggles.

"Zero!"

He kept walking.

Finally she caught up to him in the middle of the courtyard and pulled him down to her and planted a firm kiss atop his incredibly surprised lips. His eyes were wide open while hers were blissfully shut close.

"There's nothing to be jealous about." She spoke softly.

The majority of the student population were ogling at them, but neither noticed. They were too caught up in one another.

Zero just mumbled and looked away in embarrassment but grabbed her hand and held on while they walked together to class.

.

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**RWAR. reviews fuel my mischievous charades. -three-**


	6. Vexed Musings

_Vexed Musings_

_._

_._

_._

Yuuki walked her feet forward, one step at a time, as she did every other day. Detachedly she noted the dense rolls of cloud that lay overhead, and the darkened sky that swept all around her.

It was winter. It was cold. She was cold. Worst of all, she was _late_.

.

Finally turning into the gates of the academy she frowned in distaste at the sight of Zero leaning against the school walls. Once he noticed her present he turned towards her, with his hands in his pockets and looked at her expectantly.

"You should be in class." Yuuki chided him half heartedly. Of course she was elated at his company, and sure an immature part in the back of her mind was squealing in delight that he had waited for her, but she didn't want to be the cause of any problems.

Not to mention it would look rather suspicious if they walked into class late, and together. Oh well. She sighed and took his hand instead of speaking the words of thanks she truly wanted to say.

Zero shot her an odd look and let her lead him towards class.

They were halfway through the halls when a figure stepped out gracefully from one of the classroom's doorway overhangs. She noted a familiar head of dark hair and violet eyes.

"Yuuki." His lips pulled up softly at her name.

Zero visibly stiffened. Worrying for Kaname's safety she tried to make the interaction as brief as possible.

"Hello Kaname. I apologize but we really have to get to class." Yuuki made her way past him with Zero in tow and spared Kaname one last glance, "And I could say the same for you."

She could feel the tightness of Zero's chiseled bicep under her grasp. She took his hand, hoping to calm him down. He let out a slightly shaky sigh. She mentally let out one of her own, glad that-for now- the trouble was avoided.

They headed for their classroom wing in silence. She was too fearful to ask what Zero was thinking, for it was obvious he was thinking _something_, and from the look on his face it wasn't all to pleasant.

After a figurative eternity they reached the classroom door. She made a move to turn the knob but Zero's hand caught it before she got the chance.

"Stay away from him."

"Who, Kaname?"

Zero didn't answer, instead he turned around and headed out of the building.

"Where are you going?" She hissed at his retreating figure.

"I don't feel good." He stated without turning back and raised a hand in dismissal.

"Zero!" Yuuki ran up to him and tugged on his sleeve.

He stopped and turned around, "Yuuki." He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, "Go in."

She stopped in surprise and watched him walk away. Only once she could no longer see him did she remember myself enough to turn around towards the door.

Ignoring the stares of my classmates and the professor's reprimanding looks Yuuki sat down silently, and prepared herself for another day full of meaningless lectures.

Zero glanced through the black windows once to make sure Yuuki was in class before heading off to Kido. He'd surely know what to do about this.

.

_What's Kuran's game?_ Unwillingly he admitted to himself that he hardly knew much about the Pureblood leader, besides the fact that he was skilled in hand to hand combat (a fact his fellow Hunter's had let him know, he'd never had the actual _honor_ of finding that out for himself yet-_Yet_), and he was usually void of much emotion.

Most described him as a hollow shell of humanity, he hardly acknowledged any disrespects or insults, and was surprisingly polite. Especially so for a gang leader. He hardly seemed human.

But none of this information could help him-help _Yuuki_. What were the bastard's intentions towards her? Zero had no idea whether he truly fancied her, or if this was all just a simple game. Some small part of him realized it might not be just simple, rather, deadly. But he tamped that tangent down before it could get out of hand and he became even more paranoid than he already was.

Dully, he noted the crumbling brick walls and shallow breaths of homeless men huddled in street corners. A stray midnight colored cat looked directly at him with sharp eyes before disappearing behind an alley way and some part of him older than time beckoned him to follow.

For one who had worked to ignore all instincts for the better part of his life Zero succumbed easily to the pull to follow.

It led him all the way down the alley and made a right when he realized how ridiculous this was, but by then it was too late. _Where the _Hell_ am I?_ Nothing looked familiar, _Curiosity killed the cat, and now this damn cat's going to kill me for being curious._ He sighed and continued after the stray. _Might as well…_

Soon they were in a completely separate district. Zero was noting his surroundings and hadn't noticed the cat's lack of movement until his shoe accidently nudged against it. It turned around and hissed at him before jumping onto a dumpster and gracefully leaping on top of a brick wall.

It disappeared on the other side of the wall, leaving him alone and staring at the metal door it had led him too in a subdued wonder.

At this point instinct was the only thing leading the way, so he felt no need to do anything but continue to follow them. And so he pushed the door open without a second thought.

Oddly enough he wasn't surprised to find Kido sitting on top of a crate of boxes with one knee pulled up and a cigarette in his hand. His head turned slowly at the sound of Zero's arrival.

"Kido." He acknowledged eerily calm and sat down on the floor across from his notorious leader.

"I take it you're here about Kuran?" Kido asked without looking towards him.

By now Zero was smart enough not to comment on the fact that he knew without being told his reason for visiting, or how he even found Kido at all. It was a well known fact throughout K9 that Kido knew everything about everything and everything without being told a single thing.

Some supposed he had connections. Some thought he was just overly observant. And others merely viewed him as some sort of god. Zero believed in none of these. He just figured Kido had his ways. And whatever these ways of his were, they were hardly any of his business.

"What's he want?" Zero demanded.

"Yuuki Cross." He said simply.

"Why?" He ground out. He was getting thoroughly pissed off at the obvious tone of indifference in his voice.

"That's for you to figure out." Kido finally looked at him, and ground out and put out the embers of his cigarette with his fingertips.

Zero rolled his eyes, "What the fuck am I supposed to do?"

"Get rid of her." And with this, his gaze softened and he looked at Zero with understanding in his eyes. But how could he? How could he possibly understand?

Fury was burning through his system and he wasn't sure where to aim it at. So he settled for the man in front of him.

"What is _wrong _with you? You can't be _serious_. How the hell am I supposed to do that?" He didn't even bother holding in the acid that seeped through each word.

"It should be fairly easy." He looked at Zero from the corner of his eye, "Unless you've become attached?"

Zero stood up in shock. His body acted on his own, he wasn't even aware of his legs pulling himself up from a sitting position. He glared daggers at his former mentor as his hands shook at his sides.

Not exactly in the mood to be charged with murder he stormed out of the abandoned studio and slammed the door shut behind him.

.

Once outside he found the black cat nowhere to be found, and with no one to guide him back home, he took one unsteady step after another until each blended into another and he forgot where he started and the sidewalk ended.

He walked aimlessly until everything and nothing looked familiar. He noted pale faces, tan faces, light hair, dark hair, talls and shorts. The only thing he didn't notice was himself. _When? _With a groan he slumped down against the wall he was walking in front of and covered his face with his hands with a certain girl's face appearing in his mind. _When did I fall so hard?_

This wasn't supposed to happen. This was never supposed to happen. This _shouldn't have_ happened. But in the end, like usual, he had no one to blame but himself.

He leaned his back against the wall and watched the sky fade into night, he watched the blurs of people walk past him without realizing he was even there. Idly he wondered if anyone was waiting for him. Out of all the people he could think of, she was the first to come to mind. _I wonder if Yuuki's looking for me?_

"This is ridiculous." He muttered to himself and scrubbed his hands against his face in frustration. Since when had she started inhabiting every one of his thoughts?

Zero looked back up at the sky and realized there were hardly any other people out. He shrugged off his jacket and laid it down on the concrete floor as a cushion of sorts before resting his head on it and drifting off to sleep.

.

The next morning he found himself lying in his bed in his apartment, with an unopened pack of Marlboros on his night stand. _Kido…_ Zero chuckled softly before rolling back over and trying to get back into the pattern of sleep.

Before falling into dream state he cringed at the thought of an outsiders perspective at the image of Kido carrying him home in his arms while he was unconscious…

.

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**MUAH (:**


	7. Awaiting Repercussions

_Awaiting Repercussions_

_._

_._

_._

Kaname sat against a rural apartment building on an abandoned street as the deep navy of the sky melted into gray. Flashes of memories resurfaced. There were faces, too many to count. And once they appeared, darkness wrapped around each. But when a pale face with chestnut brown hair that glowed in the light with stunning mocha eyes, something changed. She eluded the darkness. Instead, she soaked in rays of light whos existence he had long forgotten.

_ She eluded the darkness. _

_She eluded the darkness._

_She eluded my darkness. _

_Yuki. _

_Yuki…_

_._

_._

Kido ambled through the crowded city streets. Under normal circumstances he would never willingly put himself out there with so much human company. There were too many presences. Too many smells. Too many faces.

But these weren't normal circumstances. He needed to be with himself for a while and seeing as he had no where else to go his feet had led him to the city. Kido was a man of leisure. He did not normally appreciate the company of so many.

He fondly thought of his fellow K9 members. _Now my boys I don't mind._ He thought of them as a family of sorts. Or as close to a family he would ever get.

His train of thought led him to Zero. _Have I done the right thing?_ He couldn't know for sure. But the boy needed to know the cost of being in this kind of world. And the cost of bringing someone else into it. Kido knew that all too well.

_ Aurora… can you see me? Are you even still watching?_

Kido looked up at the sky, memories flooding through him. Memories that were too painful to remember, but too lovely to forget.

_I hate this fine line I'm walking._

He kicked a stray can in regret and watched as it skidded towards the street with no certain direction.

_No direction._

_ No direction…_

_ Where am I going? _

Kido looked around him as faces blurred by. None were familiar.

He remembered a pigment from his past.

_"I'll be waiting." Aurora whispered into his ear. _

_ "Then I'll definitely come home." He murmured against her check and planted a chaste kiss on her forehead. _

_ He came home. But she wasn't waiting._

Kido shook his head roughly, trying to dissipate the memory. He knew it would do no good. No matter how many times he forced himself to forget, no matter how many times he brutally forced her face out of his head, the fact remained. She would always be etched into him. Into some part of him he could not reach. No one could reach. No one but her.

_No one but you. _

_ …_

_ Aurora._

_/_

_/_

_/_

Upon awakening to the crisp morning sun's beam radiating on his still body from through the window panes and seeing his digital clock flashing that it was hours past the time academy started, Zero scratched his head before rolling back over to face the ceiling.

Well school wasn't an option. Now all that was left was to think about the current abhorrent situation he had gotten himself in. But that wasn't the thing that irked him most. The thing that irked him most was the fact that he had gotten somebody _else_ thrown into the situation with him.

And that somebody wasn't just anybody.

"Fuck…" He groaned and smothered his face into his pillow.

There were many things to consider. Many steps to take. Many plans to initiate. So many years spent under Kido's care, and consequently his gang, caused Zero to gain a heightened awareness and cunning for knowing how to handle situations and problems.

He could either cut off all contact with Yuuki to keep her out of Kaname's aim of fire. But that would only matter if Kuran really was after her just because Zero was associating her.

_He could actually want her for _her_. _

But that wasn't something Zero was able to think about at the moment so he set those thoughts aside for later.

Or he could continue to stay by Yuuki's side and try his damnedest to protect her from Kuran if that time came along. But that would be unnecessarily putting her in danger. Which was not something he was so keen on doing.

None of these thoughts were things Zero wanted to even have to think about. Let alone put into action.

_First things first._ He thought as he reluctantly got out of bed and pulled a clean Tee over his head and headed to the bathroom to quickly brush his dentures.

He rinsed and spit out when he was done brushing and set his hands on either side of the sink. Zero raised his head and looked at his reflection determinedly.

_Time to talk to Kuran._

_/_

_/_

_/_

Yuuki was starting to get a bit worried, and more than a tad agitated. How could Zero skip school two days in a row? _Two!_ And with no word of warning whatsoever. Kaname wasn't here either, which was adding to her list of suspicions.

What exactly was going on here?

And Kaname's posse kept stealing glances her way as well, which was fervently putting her on edge.

Yuuki looked out the classroom window with her brows furrowing in worry.

_ I hope he's okay…_

She sighed and laid her head in her hands, thankful as sleep graced her with its presence and the droning voice of her lecturer was drowned out by the beginning of a dream she knew she wouldn't remember after waking.

...

Zero's key made a satisfying click as he locked his apartment door and headed down the concrete stairs to the streets.

It had been a while since he had visited the Purebloods. The first and only time having been as a sort of spokesperson for Kido to ask Ruka to stop seducing fellow Hunter members.

Luckily for him he had an unrivaled sense of direction and he remembered the path to their lair easily.

He was dreading this confrontation. There was nothing he wanted to do less than have to talk to Kaname Kuran of all people.

There were so many other things he'd rather be doing. Seeing a certain brown haired girl topped that list.

Zero shook his head, trying to focus, and made a sharp turn left.

_Shouldn't be too much farther…_

Zero looked down at himself, wondering if he was at all prepared for a physical confrontation if it came to that. He hoped it wouldn't. As much as he would have jumped at any opportunity to beat the Kuran's face in, he wasn't quite in the mood to exert energy.

Honestly, he was rather drowsy. But that was no excuse, he should have at least _thought_ to have brought _some_ form of self protection.

Well it was too late to dwell on it now. The further Zero walked and the closer he got to his destination he realized the dramatic dwindling of human population. There was scarcely a soul around.

With only the occasional call of crows, and the faint pitter patter of distant footsteps on the other side of buildings Zero continued on his way.

.

After what seemed like an eternity he finally noted the familiar abandoned barber shop. He made one last turn before stepping in front a dead end.

He was greeted with a bright blue dumpster and various Purebloods scattered around the concrete in front of it. There was one lone figure atop that dumpster. The Pureblood leader.

Kaname was the picture of ease. His right foot rested atop his left knee and his hands were resting on his lap. His thick black jacket billowed out from behind him like a cape, and his eyes met Zero with a calm stare.

"Ah. I was wondering when you'd show up. I was beginning to think you wouldn't show." He smiled politely at Zero and gestured for him to come closer.

"I need to talk to you." He stated, and looked around at their company before adding, "Alone."

"Of course Kiryuu." Kaname leapt off his throne gracefully and strode over towards him, "This way." He gestured towards the opening of an alley way on their right.

Zero said nothing and followed behind him as he led him forward until they were out of hearing range of the rest of his peers.

Kaname casually crossed his arms and leaned against a wall, and waited for Zero to take the initiative.

He took a deep breath and started, "What do you want with her?"

"I assume we're talking about Yuuki?"

Zero said nothing, and glared instead. _Who else?_

Kaname chuckled, "I'll take that as a yes." He seemed to weigh his words before speaking, "Well you see, there's nothing in particular I want from her, per se."

"Bull shit. Let me change my statement. _Why_ do you want her?" Zero glared at the wall Kaname was leaning against before lying through his teeth, "If it's because of me, I can assure you, she means nothing."

"Kiryuu, I assure you it's nothing to do with you. Even if I did believe she didn't mean a thing to you-which I don't; it hurts that you'd lie to me- I still wouldn't be able to help my infatuation."

"What are you going to do?" He breathed, and bit his tongue to keep himself from cursing the man in front of him.

"I'm not quite sure."

Zero lost it. He couldn't help it. Seeing Kaname's calm, smug face flared something within him. He rushed over and grabbed his collar. He glared at him while Kaname's face didn't change at all. He didn't even twitch.

He had all the intent to kill the man before him. But something stopped him. Kido would be disappointed. And Yuuki wouldn't be too proud either. So instead of knocking Kaname out with his fists, Zero settled for punching the brick wall next to his face so hard that bits started crumbling off.

Without another word Zero turned around and reached the end of the alley way. He didn't glance back once before stepping out and heading back home. He met each one of the other Purebloods gazes head on before abruptly turning on his heel and heading down the abandoned street side.

…

On his way back, Zero set a methodic pace and settled into deep thought. There wasn't much left that he could do. He was running out of options. Cutting off ties with Yuuki was obviously not an option. He'd only been away from her for a couple days and already he was teetering on the edge of his need to see her.

After his confrontation with Kaname he was actually considering barging into class in the middle of the day just to see her, but that would be ridiculous. So instead he opted for waiting outside Cross Academy a few yards away from the entrance gate.

He sat in the direction he knew Yuuki always walked to after school and looked at the clock hanging outside a store window.

_Three more hours…_

He sighed in defeat and shut his eyes against the warm rays of sun and let sleep overtake him.

…

…

…

…

…

"Zero!"

His eyes sprung open at her voice, and the hands that were jerking him awake.

Zero rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked up to find Yuuki with her eyes wide with surprise and…worry? The sun cascaded off her creamy locks stunningly and orange rays wrapped around the silhouette of her figure invitingly. She was an ode to beauty.

He shrugged her arms off and stretched his arms above his head with a yawn.

He took her arm and led her away from the academy building.

"Zero! Are you alright?" Yuuki practically yelled at him while he dragged her along.

"I'm fine." And then he remembered how long it had been since he had seen her and abruptly turned her around with her back to a random store wall and stole a slow kiss. She didn't object in the slightest.

"Where have you been?" She spluttered when he finally released his mouth from hers and continued on to his apartment.

He simply shrugged.

"Zero!" She shouted and thumped her fist against his back.

"What?" He grumbled, rubbing his back. Sure it was only Yuuki, but it bruised his ego a bit to have been hit by a girl, and it actually sort of hurt.

"Where. Have. You. Been." Yuuki looked at him with those steadfast eyes of hers she knew he couldn't escape.

"Taking care of some things." He mumbled before crossing another street intersection.

"Like what kinds of things?" She hissed. She wasn't about to let this conversation go without some answers. They both knew that.

After a long moment of silence Zero finally answered, "I saw Kuran today." He spoke without emotion.

"Is that why you two missed school today? To _brawl_?" She spit out the last word in disgust.

"No. We just talked."

"Talked. Yeah, right." Yuuki rolled her eyes.

"I'm serious. I didn't touch him." Zero told her. Then he remembered the tiny incident in the alley way. Well technically he only touched his jacket collar, not _him_.

"Fine, fine. I believe you." She sighed in exasperation and then looked up and noticed they were outside his apartment, "Wait. Where are we going?"

"My place."

"Why?"

"We need to talk."

Those were thee words a girl never wanted to hear. Yuuki froze and let go of his hand.

Zero seemed to sense a change in her and turned around.

"…what?" He asked confusedly.

"You're dumping me?" She asked, tears welling in her eyes.

"What the hell? No." He looked at her appalled.

"Oh." Yuuki blushed profusely and took a deep breath and closed her eyes; waiting for them to dry up. "It's just…when you said that- I thought…Never mind, it's stupid. Let's go."

Zero glanced at her oddly before taking back her hand and walking up the concrete steps to his apartment.

_Women…_

He shook his head in exasperation. He'd never understand them.

Once they were inside he shut the door behind them and swiveled his head around to look at Yuuki.

"Don't talk to Kuran."

"Wha-" She started but he went on.

"Don't _look_ at Kuran. Don't _think_ of Kuran. Don't _smell_ Kuran. Don't _touch _Kuran. And most of all," He stared directly into her eyes, "Do not let Kuran do _any _of these things to you." He took her face in his hands, "Do you understand me?"

"Don't you think you're taking this whole jealousy thing a bit too far?" She rolled her eyes at him.

Zero clenched his teeth, "This is _not_ about jealousy. He's _dangerous_." Although he _was_ a bit jealous. Only a little though. Just a tiny bit. Maybe even less than that. But Yuuki would never know that.

"Why?"

"Don't make me tell you." And with that he crashed his lips onto hers. Partially because he needed to shut her up, but mostly to rid all of this pent up lust for her that accumulated after keeping away from her for so long.

"Zer-" She started, but he silenced her once again with his lips.

Gently he lifted her up into his arms and walked her across the room until he could settle her back down on his bed.

He looked down at her eyes that were wide with shock and a hint of anger. He held her chin and tilted it upwards before bending over to meet her mouth with his once again.

He paused to let her catch her breath and trailed kisses down her jaw line and then down to her neck. She was panting heavily and his breathing rhythm wasn't doing much better either. He continued traveling the expanse of her smooth, pale neck.

"Zero…" She spoke again, but this time it was not to object. This time it was spoken just for him.

"Yuuki." He whispered back and bit her ear lightly. She yelped before wrapping her fingers around his hair and pulling him in closer. He smiled against her neck before claiming the lips he had been away from for far too long.

Zero broke the kiss briefly to pull her up forward nearer the headboard of his bed so that he could drape over her fully before putting his lips back against hers. He let his hands roam over her breasts before swiping his tongue against her lips, begging for entrance. She gasped in reply and he took the opportunity to push his tongue in greedily.

He sighed inwardly; realizing he was letting this go too far. Zero was loathe to admit it but he was exhausted. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before and the whole deal with Kaname had worn him down. But Yuuki did things to him that he wasn't exactly ready to acknowledge yet.

He opened his eyes and realized that even though her eyes were closed he could still notice the bags under her eyes. So she hadn't gotten much sleep either? He mentally kicked himself, realizing that the most likely cause for her lack of sleep was due to her worrying over his absence.

Abruptly Zero broke the kiss and proceeded to lift himself off of her.

He turned his back to her and started rummaging through his drawers.

"Zero?" Her voice trembled.

Zero tossed her a spare t-shirt that would be much too large for her before taking off his own, and unzipping his pants.

"Huh?" She asked in confusion.

"Put that on."

"Okay…" She complied and it took all of his willpower to turn away and allow her some privacy to change. He turned around once he registered the absence of sound, and gratefully noted she was fully changed. His shirt hung all the way down to her mid-thigh. A small smile formed on his lips and slid his feet out of his pants, wearing only his boxers.

He made his way to his bed and pulled the covers over both of them before grabbing Yuuki around the waist and pulling her into his chest. Her back tensed against him in surprise before it slowly eased up.

"Go to sleep." Zero murmured softly against her hair and kissed the back of her head.

Yuuki said nothing but he saw her close her eyes and listened to her try to calm her breathing. He was having a hard time doing that himself, but listening to her deep breaths helped somewhat to even out his erratic heartbeat.

As rays of moonlight soaked her unconscious form, Zero watched her sleep for a time before slowly drifting off himself.

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**Thanks fer reviewing. It's the only reason i'm still writing (x**


	8. Unequivocal Resolve

_Unequivocal Resolve_

_._

_._

_._

That morning he awoke to a face he often saw while dreaming.

"Yuuki." He gently nudged her awake.

"What?" She grumbled.

"Get up. You're going to be late." Zero stood up and watched Yuuki slip into a state of consciousness, before making his way to his bathroom.

"You're not coming again?" She questioned, disappointment coloring her tone.

"No." He stated carefully as he listened to her changing from the other side of the door and turned on the running water in his shower.

"Fine." She grumbled, "I'll see you later."

He waited until he heard a door shut with a bit more force than he deemed necessary before turning on the water and stepping into the shower.

.

Once he felt properly cleaned he sighed and shut the water off. Slowly, he stepped out and toweled himself dry and let more waves of indecision roll over him.

Kuran.

_Yuuki_.

Kido.

All three were problems. And all three he had no answers for.

Well the first one he obviously couldn't do anything about at the moment, and Yuuki was at school. Well that was ridiculously easy, that only left the last option.

_And then there was one…_

_/_

_/_

_/_

As Kido waited in an abandoned street way he could not say he was surprised when his Zero tracked him down that morning and stood in front of him now. He could not say he was surprised at the distressed aura he brought in his wake. He could not say he was surprised that he came for answers. Nor was he surprised to see through all his conflict and fine pure, unrefined confusion. The only thing he _could_ say he was surprised about was how, simultaneously, as these sings registered within his mind, it brought a great deal of pain. Pain at having to see the boy he considered an almost-son go through all these conflicts that he had once faced during his own lifetime.

_ What is this? I swore off feeling that day. So what are these resurfacings? _

He pushed all thoughts aside as he regarded the boy-no-more before him.

"Zero." He acknowledged him calmly with a tilt of his head.

He looked around warily before asking, "Where are the others?"

"Errands." He gestured for him to come closer.

Zero ran a hand through his hair before letting out a ragged breath and sinking down to crouch on his heels in front of him.

"I don't know what to do anymore," Zero dug the palms of his hands into his closed eyes and murmured, "I just—I don't…"

Kido walked forward, and in a surprising act of affection, slung his arm over his almost-son's shoulder, "Come with me boy."

Wordlessly, the older man in the black trench coat led his utterly confused subordinate to a lonely café close by.

Once seated, both with a warm cup of coffee, Kido started the conversation he never once thought to speak of again.

.

.

Sitting in homeroom, with nothing else to do, Yuuki stared out the window absentmindedly. Thinking of each school day spent without Zero. It felt so utterly wasteful to her.

_The things I touch, and feel, and taste are not you. And that alone makes it unbearable._

The ending bell rang, bringing her out of her reverie. Yuuki walked towards the courtyard for lunch in a daze. She couldn't help but wonder why Zero wasn't coming to school. Why would he purposely skip a chance to see her? Surely, there must be some reason he was choosing not to spend as much time with her. Right? _Right?_ But a small part of her mind was saying no. Not right. Perhaps, he's just lost interest in you.

Before she could help it, a sigh escaped her lips. Lately, things were getting far too complicated for her liking.

"Yuuki?" A soft voice and tender hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality.

She looked up to see Kaname's tall, and worried, figure towering over her.

"Are you alright?" He asked kindly.

"Yes! Yes I—I'm fine," She spoke quickly, wary of the warning Zero had heeded only a day before.

"Alright. Would you like to sit with me?" His eyes looked into hers, full of tacit hope.

Up close, Kaname _was_ fairly attractive. And his voice was smooth, and soft like velvet. His eyes were shining so brightly, how in the world could Yuuki say no to that face?

"Sure." She finally agreed, a shy smile on her face. She was lucky Zero wasn't around to see this. But that didn't help the extreme feel of guilt resonating through her core.

...

Kido took a leisurely sip of his coffee and looked up at Zero from its brim.

"You're happy son."

Zero answered with a dubious look.

"Well maybe not right _now. _But lately I see it. When I look at you. You're happy." He leaned back and spread his arm over the top of the booth's cushion sofa, "You wanna know why?"

The man in front of him just shrugged.

"It's because of her. That girl. It's your love for her. But she's made you soft."

"How could you know anyth—" Zero started, but was shortly cut off.

"I know. I was like you once." He stared at Zero levelly before pulling out a Marlboro and cupping his lighter up to it. It ignited shortly and he took a swift drag before continuing. "Her name was Aurora." Kido's eyes glazed over and Zero knew the man across from him was somewhere else now. He leaned back and listened, wondering if there would ever be another time he would get a glimpse into his leader's insides. Surely being able to hear some part of the past Kido was so keen on keeping secret was some sort of gargantuan feat.

_Hell, I should get some kind of medal or something. _

"We were seven when we met. She was my next door neighbor…Heh." He blew out a cloud of smoke, "Only later would I think of the irony; having to see her come home leaning on other men's shoulders. So many men. And none of them were me. But, I digress. Anyways, I loved her from the beginning. The moment she fell off her bike riding down that street and burst out crying like a sissy. I knew I couldn't find her in anyone else. Aurora was _her. _She was all I needed. But years passed, and I didn't do a thing. But she still remained in the house right across from me. Every day, I would go to sleep knowing she was breathing so close to me. Only a few meters across. Those thoughts did me well. I never had a nightmare while I lived near her. Not once. Finally, after graduation at some no-good bar in Huntsdale I told her I loved her. At a bar of all places!" Kido chuckled shortly, but it was too full of bitterness to really be considered a laugh.

"We were both drunk out of our minds but she smiled, and you know what she said?" He looked at Zero, even though it was clearly a rhetorical question, "She said _Yeah_. And she leaned in and I kissed her. And then it wasn't just me that was in love, _we _were in love. So after a while we moved in together. Then one day we finally got all the furniture and it was perfect, and I had to take care of some business; I was involved in the wrong shit with the wrong people at the time but I had already made a plan to quit that life. So I kissed her goodbye and she said she'd be waiting. Problem was, when I got there, she wasn't waiting." Kido raised his eyes and looked at Zero with an emotion he couldn't quite place on the man.

"She was dead."

Hardly was Zero ever at a loss for words, this instance was one.

"I'm telling you this kid because you need to know what you're getting yourself into—what you're getting _her_ into. Now's the time you got to get your priorities straight. It's this," And with that Kido gestured to the run-down café, and himself, and all the messed up gun-shooting, fist-fighting junkies in between. "Or _her._"

Zero stood up, knowing Kido wasn't the type of man who wanted to be shown sympathy after revealing a weakness, and said the two words he hardly said to anyone.

"_Thank you_."

"Whatever Kid." Kido waved his gesture off dismissively, and a sadistic grin spread across his face, "Just don't screw up."

Zero rolled his eyes and walked out of the café; with his resolve slightly more defined. Honestly, subconsciously he had always known it was coming. Now it was just a matter of when.

.

.

As Yuuki Cross looked around the table she was currently situated at with Kaname and his notorious gang _Purebloods_, she couldn't help but feel nervous. Who in the Hell _wouldn't_ be nervous surrounded by an entire cluster of incredibly gorgeous teenagers?

"Is that all you're eating Yuuki?" Kaname gestured to the orange she was now rolling over in her hands.

"Yeah. I'm not too hungry."

"Ah. I see."

Shortly after the table disintegrated into a swell of conversation and though Yuuki tried her best to listen politely she couldn't help but feel the guilt within her fluctuate as time went on. Zero had specifically forbid her to have anything to do with Kaname, and here she was, well, having to do with Kaname. It was with these thoughts that she finally managed to stand up and make her leave.

"Thanks for letting me sit with you Kaname, but I have some things to tend to." Yuuki rushed quickly towards the main buildings.

It wasn't until their lunch table was out of sight and she was passing through the secluded lawn area by the front gates that she heard footsteps behind her. Before she could turn around however a large hand grabbed hold of her wrist from behind.

"Kaname?" She asked as she turned around, her voice quivering slightly in fear.

"Wait." He murmured and looked at her pleadingly. He opened his mouth to talk with his arm still on her wrist when they were interrupted by a third presence.

"Kuran." A cold voice spoke softly. And it was only one word, but the malice soaked into it was enough to send shrivels of fear down her spine.

"Zero." Yuuki's mouth was agape and she was about to explain when he crossed the distance between them in a blink of an eye and pulled her behind him.

"What were you doing?" Zero intoned.

"Merely speaking with Yuuki." Kaname answered, a solemn smile spread on his lips.

"Don't."

And with that, he took Yuuki's hand and pulled him alongside her out the Academy gates.

Once they were far away from the school and in front of a park bench Zero sat them down.

"What was _that_?" He practically hissed.

"Well he invited me to sit with him and I wasn't going to because I remembered what you told me yesterday but he looked really happy and I couldn't say no because I didn't want to make him sad and then everybody was really attractive and he asked if I was going to eat anything other than my orange and I said no and then I felt guilty so I left and then I was walking away and I noticed footsteps and before I could turn around he grabbed my wrist and then I was like Kaname? and he was like Wait. and then you came and—"

"Okay. Enough." Zero thankfully interrupted her rant before it could progress any further, "I specifically told you to stay away from him Yuuki."

"I know," She looked down at her knees shamefully, "I'm sorry."

"That's nice and all, but how am I to know you won't do it again?"

Her head shot back up, "Are you saying you don't _trust_ me?"

"Well after today's incident, is it that surprising?"

"Are you _kidding_ me? I made one little mistake. One!"

"Look Yuuki, maybe you should stay home for a couple days. Or just until you can control yourself."

"_Control_ myself? Are you serious? What am I, a _dog_?"

"No." Zero rubbed his hands down his face in frustration, "I'm saying you should set some precautions."

"You know what Zero. I'm sorry for what I did, but I can't believe this. I'm leaving."

"Where are you going?" He sighed as he watched Yuuki get up.

"I need some space." She called back over her shoulder as she walked away from him. And Zero was left thinking how a seemingly brilliant idea to come to school late to see Yuuki had ended up in such a horrible fiasco.

But part of him was glad, for seeing Kuran with her only made his resolve that much clearer.

.

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**Review? ;) me-OW .**


	9. Cataclysmic Affairs

_Cataclysmic Affairs_

.

.

.

It was the next afternoon. Eighteen hours ago he had last seen Yuuki. _Eighteen hours_. Each proved more unbearable than the last.

_This is ridiculous_.

Zero tried to chide himself as he arose from a fitful sleep to groggily pull the curtains aside. A steady stream of sunlight made its way in as he stared out at the shards of an overpopulated metropolis. And somewhere, _somewhere_ out there was Yuuki (who currently wasn't speaking to him) and Kaname too. And that last part—that just wouldn't do for him.

With the last thought he tightened his grip on a fistful of curtain, before letting his hand fall limp and continued staring skywards, wondering of a girl who's thoughts seemed to plague his mind more fervently each day.

Still fuming, Yuuki grabbed her book bag a bit more viciously than necessary as she made way to her and Yori's lunch table. Spotting the secluded shaded bench area she promptly sat down, awaiting her friend's arrival.

Hardly any time had passed when she noted a familiar light-haired head.

"Yori!" She shouted out and beckoned her over with an easy smile. It had been a while since she had seen her closest friend and she hoped she didn't feel neglected by Yuuki's absence.

"Yuuki." She greeted her calmly with a small smile.

"Sit, sit." She ushered her, as Yori made her way over.

She complied and sat down next to her before opening up her lunch.

"Long time no see!" Yuuki exclaimed as she took a bite of her own sandwich.

"Yes. You seemed awful busy with that Kiryu boy." Yori answered with a knowing smile.

Yuuki blushed slightly before composing herself enough to apologize, "Sorry I haven't been coming to see you lately Yori. I've just been a bit busy with—things…" She finished lamely before bending her head in shame.

"That's alright Yuuki. But I'm still here if you ever need to talk about anything." Yori turned to her and smiled warmly, and the sincerity crinkled her eyes.

She broke out in a grin and hugged her quickly.

It was nice having someone to be able to talk to, but Yuuki didn't want to involve Yori in her petty problems, she already had enough to worry about with her ill father and recently-unemployed mother.

It was times like these that Yuuki felt like a horrid friend. In stead of Yori comforting _her,_ it should have been _her _comforting _Yori_. How selfish of her.

"Enough about me. Are _you_ okay Yori?" She asked earnestly, watching for any expression change in her best friend's demeanor. Yuuki noticed her face fall slightly before answering.

"Everything's fine."

Yuuki raised an eyebrow in disbelief in reply.

Yori sighed heavily before continuing.

"Father's condition has worsened." At this her eyes fell down, but she looked back up at Yuuki quickly, "But Mother's nearer to finding a job."

So the news was bittersweet, least it was better than only bitter.

"I'm sorry Yori." Yuuki said softly and took her hands in her own.

She kept her eyes down on their hands and smiled softly, "It'll get better."

"Yes. It will." She whispered.

It was noon, and Zero decided if he was ever going to get up today he might as well do it now. So with the fresh goal in mind he set over to the bathroom, intent on taking a much neglected shower. Agonizing over past mistakes, and current stresses over a certain dark-haired male and female didn't leave much room for hygiene.

He let the cold streams of shower water cascade off his skin motionlessly as he tried to wash his anxiety away. Zero needed a clearer mind if he was going to get anything done. Emotions were ruling him now, and that was no way to go about things. Especially not in a life like his.

_But isn't that what this whole charade is about? _

No. It could no longer be that way. Before Yuuki the way he thought was all based on street instincts that had built up over the years spent with his fellow gang members. It was the fight or flight response. Whether to run or tussle. Whether to push for more turf, or stay behind to defend your territory. And it was the pure adrenaline rush that had ruled his life for so long. Until _she _came along.

And no; he could not say he regretted it. If he did, it would be a lie. But that did not mean he was allowed to change his way of thinking. Because even though she existed along side him now, did not mean he was not wholly of that other world full of drive-by shootings and broken-in department stores.

Those shadows that he chose to plunge into due to a loneliness & desperation he could no longer stand were still there. And those ink-darkened corners that ruled far too large a piece of his life than he preferred, were still present. And still his fault. It was _he that_ had chosen this life. And it was _him _that had to learn how to control it.

All these years spent pent up full of mistakes were his actions. And the countless lives that had been hindered in the process were his choices. And this lifetime full of mistakes had nothing to do with Yuuki—_could not _have anything to with Yuuki. So he would fix them, he would fix them and then he would fix himself. Albeit maybe with some help.

…

"Zero." Kido acknowledged with a nod of the head.

Zero bowed his head down in greeting before nodding towards the general direction of the rest of his fellowship.

They cheered at his arrival and greeted him with loud words of homage and respect. It was understandable; Zero was second in these parts only to Kido himself.

"Long time no see bro!"

"Where ya been?"

"Heard you got yo'self a girl!"

Zero growled at that one.

Kido hushed them.

"Sit boy. Busy man like you wouldn't come here without reason."

Zero folded his long legs somewhat awkwardly and sat atop a branded crate meant to have been shipped to Australia.

He took a deep breath before starting. Telling his coterie this would be undoubtedly hard. They had been there through everything. Through every hardship, every trial, every fall. And now he would leave them.

"I'm leaving."

At this outcries of disapproval and shock erupted, but Kido put out a hand to silence them. He gestured to Zero to continue.

"I appreciate everything you all have done for me until now," He looked directly at Kido before continuing, "Over the years I've come to see you as a family." The tips of his ears were turning a slight shade of pink but he went on.

"And I know this is selfish of me, but I must ask for one last thing before I go."

The rest of the group was silent, but their leader spoke for them.

"What is it Zero?" Kido asked, a mischievous spark lighting his eyes.

"I need to get rid of Kuran."

Whoops of excitement chorused throughout the warehouse, and a rare smile erupted on Zero's features.

…

Once out of the classroom, Yuuki let out a heavy sigh; relieved to finally be done with the school day. It seemed particularly long, most likely due to her brooding over her current situation with a certain Kiryu. She unbuttoned her blazer once off school grounds and pressed the pedestrian button before waiting at the crosswalk to be able to cross the street.

"Hello Yuuki." A voice breathed down her ear.

She squealed and jumped a little before timidly turning around to find herself staring at the chest of a familiar figure.

"Hello Kaname." Yuuki managed to squeak out. Even though she was furious at Zero she had still heeded his warning and had done her best to avoid Kaname. Even going so far as to blatantly turn around when she saw him walking her way. Surely he had noticed, but oddly enough he still chose to greet her. Which was odd, seeing as she walked this way every day but not once had she seen him heading the same direction as her.

"I assume you're well?" He asked her in a pleasant voice, incredibly formal as always.

"Yes." She cleared her throat, wondering how much longer the crosswalk light would take. Yuuki turned quickly, to see that it, indeed, already had.

"Well. Bye." She said quickly and stepped on to the street. She heard a soft _Goodbye Yuuki_ but by then she was already half way across. Slowly, she turned to see Kaname still standing there watching her, with something akin to sorrow on his face.

Yuuki shook her head softly to clear her head before stepping on to the sidewalk on the other end. She continued on home without looking back again.

…

…

It was just before night fall, Zero and all his comrades were assembled. All but Kido, who had decided to stay behind, and their parting was still fresh in his mind.

"You're not coming?" Zero asked, doing his best to mask his disappointment. Was Kido upset with him?

"Nah Kid. I'll leave them to you. This is something you got to do with your own power."

"I'm not sure I can." He whispered, fearful to admit defeat before he had already begun.

Kido seemed to contemplate something before speaking up, "I was going to name you my successor you know." He spoke matter-of-factly, and looked at Zero with a small smile.

Zero could only stare, the shock still registering within him. Such an honor was unimaginable; Kido was well-known for his notoriously cunning ways and ability to get any job done. He was brutal and kind, sly and honest. But above all, he was brave. He was brave, and he was a _legend_. And for him to have chosen Zero to take his place…there were not words to describe such a feeling.

"But I'm glad I can't now. You're doing what I was too afraid to do so many years ago. Back then, when Aurora was around, I wanted to leave. I wanted to leave so bad. But I had built up this life for so long I didn't know how to live without it. I figured I wasn't good for anything else. This was the only way to live for me. But I see now it wasn't. And maybe if I had seen that sooner things would have ended up a whole lot different. But there are always a lot of maybes, and I've learnt to deal with that. Hell, maybe it's even my fault she died. But even so, I won't beat myself up over it anymore. Because her memory's more than enough, and I have a family of my own now. Even if it doesn't include a lover. And even though part of my family's leaving today, I'm not going anywhere Kid."

One of the fewer genuine smiles hardly ever seen on Zero's face lit his features up, and he bowed to his father-of-sorts gratefully.

"Thanks _dad_." He mocked.

"Aw get the hell out of here!" Kido shooed him off with a fond smile.

Zero chuckled before closing the doors behind him, one last time.

…

…

Remembering Kido's words of assurance Zero took a steadying breath, and reminded himself that if Kido had faith in him, he might as well have faith in himself.

"Reed scout. Call Aiden if anything's out of order or the cops show up."

Said boy nodded in affirmative.

So far, so good. Everything was going according to plan. They were stationed on the border of Pureblood's turf. They had the whole area circled around, Kaname had no clue what was about to hit him. And hopefully it would stay that way.

Slowly and silently he walked forward, and with a quick flick of the wrist commanded the rest of his team to do the same. They were getting farther and farther away from the safety of their territory, and deeper within the enemy's. He only needed to signal one more time to call the plan in to action; he could only hope Yuuki was somewhere safe.

.

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**Special Thanks To**** (**in no particular order o_o**):**

**BrownSugar1213**

**Huyutfsakura**

**slmCandle**

**stabpinmonkey**

**Masochisticxmind (TEEHEE!)**

**GlassTears8**

**tAkuMi aZuKi**

**KanameZero4Eva**

**i-is-animefreak**

**XxLovesxInuyashaxX**

**Loverpuppy**

**Miss Layla**

**LadyFromTheMoon**

**Luna Silvereyes**

**TellMeDoYouWanna**

**& all yu anonymous reviewers ;]**

_I love yooh all, & thanx fer putting up with my crappiness._

******Chapters 1-9 Edited 7/2/10**


	10. Abstruse Realization

_Abstruse Realization_

_._

_._

_._

_

* * *

_

Midnight was nearing, and it was only the lone street light that illuminated Zero's features. The strong line of his jaw, the sharp nose, the furrow in between his brows. The glint of raw determination in his eyes.

He turned his head to the rest of his team. They were at the rendezvous point. With one last look at everyone, he nodded his head resolutely.

It was time.

There was no sound, their footsteps were light, their movements quick and soft. Save for the soft echoes of their slow, cautious breathing they could hear nothing. The air was tense with anticipation, their rivals were waiting. That much was obvious.

Upon exiting an alleyway they resumed single file formation, with their leader in the front position. The roads were desolate, no vehicles treaded this path so late at night. Only fools came this far in to Pureblood territory.

Zero faltered in step and shook his head.

_What am I doing?_

The Purebloods were the closest to divinity, they were seemingly _immortal_. They were _ruthless_, they emanated waves of undulated power solely on a glance.

_They could kill me. _He stared down at the midnight-blue sky.

_They could kill us all_.

Zero took a deep breath and looked behind him. He was met with the faces of his comrades, their expressions all the same. None were questioning, each had heaps of loyalty hidden beneath their steadfast gazes, their ready stances, the sure posture.

And of course they knew. Of course they knew there would be casualties. Wounds far too catastrophic too mend would be inflicted. And they all _knew_. But they were ready anyways.

He laughed once without humor, before offering his team a wolfish grin before turning back and starting towards their destination once again.

He knew what he was doing.

_ I am saving us all. _

And just like that he was set back into the mind frame he so needed to hold on to, and once again they made their way further into the night.

* * *

Back at her home Yuuki was dining with her adopted father.

"Would you pass the rice Dear?"

"Sure headmaster." She mumbled back and reached for the plate to hand to Cross only to find him glaring at her heatedly.

"…I mean _Father_."

"Hehehe!" His face immediately melted back into one of childlike humor.

"So," Cross started up after a short while of silent eating, "How's school?"

"Fine."

"And that nice little boy I saw you with the other week? Hmm?" Yuuki's faster father asked with eyes full of mirth.

"…keep your homosexual comments to yourself." She answered back simply before shoving another forkful of food into her mouth.

"Yuuki! I must admit I am terribly affronted!" He gasped and clutched his chest dramatically.

She looked back at him with blank eyes, "That's nice." In the corner of her eye she dully noted him weeping into his rice dish and mumbling incoherent thoughts about _cruel daughters against passionate love_ and such.

With a final sigh Yuuki got up and cleared her plates before making her way to her room.

_I wonder where Zero is._

…

* * *

With each step Zero took his resolve heightened. He knew what he had to do, and damn it if he wasn't going to get the job done to the best of his abilities.

With his comrades behind him he turned another corner, and was met with the entirety of the Pureblood members.

He froze, and gestured for the rest of his pack to halt as well.

"I see you've finally joined us Kiryu." A soft voice spoke from somewhere in the dark night.

He looked around feverishly, trying to find the source of the voice before resting on Kaname's elegant form resting on top of a concrete wall, looking as relaxed as if they had merely barged in on his afternoon tea.

Zero said nothing, only twirling the wood handle of his knife around his fingers in anticipation.

"I don't suppose you'd care to settle this with words then?"

He only grinned in response, vicious and unrelenting.

The dark figure above him sighed, "So be it."

With his eyes still trained in on Kuran, Zero noted the rest of the Purebloods get into defensive positions, and he noted his own brothers-of-sorts doing the same.

And with a single word, the melee ensued.

"Begin."

…

* * *

Yuuki had barely gotten to her room before thoughts of Zero bombarded her mind once again. How was it that she couldn't go a single minute without thinking of him?

She sat down on the ledge beneath her window and sighed as she noticed the steady pour of rain coming down from outside.

She frowned, fervently hoping Zero wasn't out in such weather.

Three short knocks sounded on her door; reverting her out of her musings.

"Come in." She called.

"Yuuki?" Her foster-father asked tentatively as he stepped into the threshold of his daughter's room.

"Yes?"

"You have a visitor." Cross smiled and stepped aside to reveal the petite figure behind him.

"Yori!" Yuuki exclaimed in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

Yori stepped into her room after saying a quick thank you to Cross as he quietly stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him.

"I could leave if you'd like."

"No! No, that's not it at all. I'm just surprised. I'm always glad for you company." She spoke quickly, honesty softening her voice.

Her best friend smiled and sat down on Yuuki's bed across from her. She looked out at the same view the girl had been staring at before.

"Daydreaming are we?"

Yuuki answered with a quick roll of her eyes, "Not exactly."

"Then what are you thinking about?"

Knowing that Yori could see through any and all of her lies either way she chose to answer honestly instead of dancing around the truth.

"Zero."

Yori prompted her with a look that immediately told her to elaborate.

"Sometimes I'm just not very sure. About him—us. I mean, I hardly know anything about him. I don't know anything about his history or where he's come from or—_anything_! And he's gone an awful lot. What could he be doing? Does he even love me?"

Once the worries she had kept constantly bottled up starting pouring out she couldn't stop the flow of insecurities. She bit her bottom lip in anxiety, wondering if any of these conflicts would ever be resolved.

"He loves you." Her best friend answered simply.

Yuuki threw her hands up in frustration, "But how do you _know_?"

"Haven't you noticed? He's a prude to almost everyone else save for you, and he always looks at you, even when you're not aware of it. Albeit most of all it's in the way he looks at you. As if you're the answer to the question he forgot to ask. As if you're his salvation; like you've saved him."

After her speech Yori looked at her patiently, as if she was a child recently scolded.

"Why are you crying?"

Yuuki looked at her in confusion and then touched her face, to find she was, indeed, crying. Before she knew it, the tears rolled down relentlessly.

"I—I don't know. I just, I just love him." She hiccupped, and cupped her hands to her face.

Yori answered softly, "Then what are you still doing here?"

She looked up at her with a sort of awe. How was it that Yori _always_ managed to make her feel better?

"You're the most brilliant friend I could ever ask for." Yuuki got up to give her a hug.

Yori smiled and reciprocated the embrace warmly.

"I know."

She giggled and let go of her fair-haired friend before picking up a discarded coat on the ground and pulling it over herself.

"Are you coming?"

She shook her head no, "This is something you have to do Yuuki."

The brunette nodded her understanding, "Well if you'd like to stay I'm sure the Headmaster would be more than glad to keep you company."

Yori grimaced, "That won't be necessary, I was only dropping by for a quick visit."

She shrugged, "If you insist."

And with that, she was off to find Zero.

She had some questions.

…

* * *

A drop of sweat slid down his brow and into his lashes, deterring his vision for a moment. Zero quickly rubbed his hand across his eye, barely dodging a blow before turning around and swiftly landing a punch in between someone's rib.

He no longer knew who he was attacking, only making sure they weren't his own.

Taking a quick look around him, he surveyed the damage.

Most everyone belonging to the Hunters were still fighting, save for a few that had been rendered unconscious. All in all they were fairing fairly well, seeing as how there were more Purebloods down than Hunters.

But none of this information gave him any satisfaction, not when they still hadn't been able to lay a finger on Kaname still. No, the Pureblood leader himself had remained atop his perch for the entirety of the chaotic ensemble, and was surveying the scene below him with a cool disinterest.

It infuriated him to say the least.

He ducked an oncoming kick and retaliated with one of his own.

One more down.

Doing a quick calculation Zero figured they had to take out 5 to 6 more Purebloods before they'd have a clear path to Kuran. And once that path had been made, Kaname was _his_.

The toll of all the physical exertion was beginning to take to dawn on him, but he ignored it as he started in on another opponent.

.

Taking another quick glance around Zero noticed with dismay that the tables had begun to turn. They were no longer in the lead, but instead were a few men short of Kuran's cronies.

He grumbled a quick profanity before knocking another opponent unconscious.

At this rate, they wouldn't make it.

Zero looked around desperately, trying to find some key component to work with and make a battle strategy, but there was nothing.

At this rate their plan would bear no fruition, and the entirety of the ambush would be worthless. It would make sense to surrender, something he was loathe to do.

_Should they retreat?_

At once, he heard a clamor of sound and cheers of jubilance.

Confused, but without time to turn around, Zero tried to do off with another unknown figure with haste.

"Kido!"

"Kido's here!"

"Leader!"

Hopeful, and afraid to admit it, he swiveled around to come face to face with the cause of all the commotion.

"Kido?" He panted, searching the familiar figure's face for a reason as to why he was here.

"In the end, I guess I just can't leave you alone kid." Kido grinned, and without turning around back fisted an attacker that had been trying to surprise the Hunters leader in the face.

A grin of his own, one full of relief and an animal-like connection, spread across Zero's own face.

Kido tilted his head toward a hooded figure creeping closer to them, "Shall we?"

Zero cracked his knuckles in answer.

…

* * *

After checking Zero's apartment and finding no one there Yuuki had taken to the streets.

She hurried around corners and ran down alleyways, trying to ignore the pelting rain that washed over her raincoat. The dim streetlights were doing little to illuminate the deserted streets and sidewalks.

So far there was no sign of Zero. She was starting to question her sanity—running around in the pouring rain all alone in the middle of the night looking for a boy who she had entirely no idea whatsoever where he could be was rather foolish.

But be it as it may, she had to do _something_. She wasn't one to sit around and wait for solutions to find her. She chose to find them herself.

And as the puddles of wet rain sloshed around her boots and the temperature began steadily dropping, she wondered if, maybe, he was looking for her too.

_Maybe he was waiting for her at home. _

…

* * *

Finally. It was time. With Kido on their side things quickly tipped in their favor once more, and the path was clear to take Kuran down.

Zero was bloodied, and his lip was split, but he could finally take him for his own.

He turned to Kido who was still locked in combat, but met his eyes with an imperceptible nod.

_Do or die._

He looked up toward the ledge and found Kaname's eyes already locked on his form, with a placid smile on his face.

He stood up slowly, with the grace of a jungle cat.

"Well done Kiryu, you were far swifter than I originally anticipated. Efficient as always. Though I conjectured that girl would have softened you up a bit."

Zero grunted in response, hoping to dismiss the subject of Yuuki before it could arise.

"Docile as ever I see."

"Shut up and fight me." He growled in response.

Kaname smiled and leapt down from the ledge gracefully, and the two warriors began circling one another dangerously.

"Are you sure this is what you want? To fight like barbarians?"

Zero only glared, not giving in to his verbal attempts at distraction.

Slowly their circle was diminishing. The space between the two was waning.

"Why not make the first move Kiryu? Afraid?"

If possible, Zero's glare darkened, and in one blur Kaname had lunged.

He quickly side parried out of the way and aimed a right hook towards his temple, albeit missing his target when Kaname blocked his punch and tried for one of his own.

Zero jerked out of the way, surprised at his opponent's speed.

He was completely unaware of the clashing of enemies behind him; focused solely on the shadowed man before him.

"Impressive." Said man murmured, before lunging towards him again.

Zero crouched down and moved to kick his feet from under him, knocking him towards the ground. He jumped at the opportunity to get a blow in but as soon as he came towards him Kaname grabbed his outstretched arm and pulled him down so their roles were reversed.

Using all his strength left in him he pushed the towering figure off of him and backed away to put space between the two.

Panting, Zero wiped the sweat off his brow. All the fights he had participated in prior to this match were putting him at a disadvantage, while Kuran had merely been watching the entire fiasco without lifting a finger.

Looking at the amicable smile on the Pureblood's face, he realized the odds were not in his favor

…

* * *

The rain was coming down harder now, and her feet were starting to ache, Yuuki knew if she was going to keep her current pace up she had to take a small rest, otherwise her speed would continue to diminish.

She would have to put her stubbornness aside for now and take a quick breather, and the moment she caught her breath she could continue her trek once again.

With a disconsolate mind, and a heavy sigh, she took a seat on a wooden bench off the street. She breathed into her hands, trying to bring some sort of warmth to her heat-deprived body.

Her hands were ice-cold and wet to the touch, and once again, the street was entirely baron. She could hear nothing except the steady pelt of the rain as it hit rooftops and cement, and the flickering of the lamplights on either side of the roads.

The setting was eerie, and she briefly wondered what time it was, or what Yori was doing now. She very much hoped her father would recover soon, her best friend just wasn't as energetic as she used to be without him. Especially with her mother unemployed and such things, and with no way to help Yori's cause she felt incredibly useless as a friend.

No, it would do no good to mull over such obsolete things at the moment; she was on a mission. She had to find Zero.

A muffled cry, dampened by the rain sounded and she jerked her head towards the direction it came from.

Unsteadily she rose from her seat on the damp bench and looked around in paranoia.

Against her better judgment, she started slowly in the way the cry had come from.

_Who was out there?_

…

* * *

Zero could feel the metallic taste of blood in his mouth before it even began trickling down his chin. He wiped his mouth and spat it out, trying to stay focused and conjure up a battle plan of sorts.

Looking at Kaname, he was decidedly in worse shape than his opponent. They had taken roughly the same amount of damage from one another, but the problem was all the _others_ Zero had taken damage from prior to his current opponent.

It had depleted much of his stamina and left him little room to make due of Kuran. But he had no time to mull over such matters, he had to come up with some way to reserve his energy source whilst making Kaname use up his so he could make it an even fight, because right now the outcome was looking rather bleak.

His eyes scanned the perimeter, making mental tallies of who was still left and who was down. So far only few clusters of men were left fighting, one of them being Kido. Zero couldn't call him for help, he wanted to this alone. He knew he was being foolish, but using help was not an option.

While surveying the scene, a figure, smaller than the rest, caught his eye, and he squinted in the darkness trying to decipher who it was. Kaname, seeming to notice his distraction, looked towards the direction as well.

The figure was completely frozen, but after taking a shaky step forward, and consequently under the beams of the streetlamp, their face was illuminated.

A face far too familiar for his liking.

His shocked intake of breath was so quick it was almost a hiss.

Yuuki said something, and he saw, rather than heard, her lips form his name, her eyes entirely frozen and wide.

As if seeming to sense an outsider, everyone in the clearing froze, and the night became quiet once again, save for the rain.

She whispered, with tears forming in her eyes, but he heard her voice as if she was standing right next to him.

"…What are you doing?"

* * *

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**A/N: Yes, I know I haven't updated in far too long. And for that I apologize, but I'm entirely displeased with this story. And i know if I was really that displeased with it i could go and edit all the chapters blah blah blah, but to be honest fanfiction isn't really a top priority of mine at the moment. And though my muse for this story has wholly left me, I won't put it on hiatus and will try my best to continue to update because I'm a reader too and I know how frustrating it is when author's stop updating. So hopefully I'll be able to wrap this story up in the next chapter or two, **

**and I'm not trying to be a review-whore or anything but reviews seriously are the only thing that keep me updating, and the more anyone tries to bug me to update the faster I will. **

**Thanks for all the support up until now, I hope this chapter will satisfy for now. **


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